Frustration
by Rochnariel
Summary: Elrohir talks a walk to cool down after an argument with his twin.


**Frustration  
****Rating: **G (or whatever the equivalent is to that now)  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of Middle Earth (as much as I would like to get my hands on Rohan), Lord of the Rings, or its characters. That all belongs to JRR Tolkien. I only like to dream and play in his world.  
**A/N: **This little piece was written for an Exercise at There n Back on Live Journal. Sorry about the decided lack of updates on my other story. Graduation and such things have not left me with much time for writing. I will try to get more written once I get myself back into my normal country and state. I hope to have an update or two or three by summer's end, but I am not promising anything. Now, onto the important part, the story.

I stormed out of the study, slamming the thick, wooden door as hard as I could on my way out. "Why?" I felt like screaming as I stomped through the halls, my footsteps ringing hard enough on the unwavering floors for a human in the gardens to hear. "Sometimes, I think he does things like this just to make me mad." I think to myself as my feet carrying me through the halls without my mind to lead them. I have traveled these halls for many generations of men, many times with Elladan trying to get away from stern lectures from Ada after we played a "harmless" prank on a certain unsuspecting counselor.

Now, I crash through them in anger over the actions of my partner-in-crime from youth. My twin could be so bull-headed at times that no amount of reason will get through to him. At times like these, I need to get away from him. Within the confines of my musings, I leave my feet to travel the well known path without any contribution of thought. None is needed to take me out the partially hidden and rarely used side door. It is plain and simple, just an oak door weathered from many storms partially hidden from view by the hedges of the garden. Rarely do other elves travel this path, and I know from experience, all will stay away when they see me enraged. No sane person willingly encounters an enraged member of Elrond's family save one and she has long since passed over the sea.

So distracted in my thoughts, I take no notice of the beauty of the surrounding land, which never fails to stun newcomers. The peace of the valley soothes the most troubled of souls; eventually it will soothe mine yet again. For now, I storm along the path. It is marked only by the wearing of the ground, but can easily be followed by those who tread it often. Lose your way, however, and you could be lost in the trees for a long time unless you know them well. The surrounding forest is not as tight packed as Mirkwood or as dark. Yet, it is not sparse and contains enough different species to make its beauty diverse. It is a perfect balance, especially for parents who need to keep an eye on curious, wandering youngsters.

The lessening of trees signals the coming of my destination. The stables were built in a clearing not far from the house. This was actually the back way in, but the one I always used; the one I had since sneaking out here as a child when I was suppose to be in bed. One could run into people too easily at the main entrance, which was no different in appearance from the back one, but was right off the main path and therefore more often used. The wide stable door was pulled open, as it always was in good weather, letting the wind and fresh air cool off the often stuffy stalls. In my mind's eye, I saw every stall, box, and feed box as if I was walking though them. It should not be any other way as I planned it all and helped to build every inch of it when the old barn burned down a decade ago.

It was built in the same exact spot where the old barn burnt down. The floor was naught but dirt, hard packed from much traffic and heavy animals. The stalls were lined in straw, each one with its own little differences, like the missing board nearest the ground in the second stall from the end on the east side. The chestnut mare in the stall had pawed at it so much that in broke, and she seemed much happier without it, so no one bothered to replace it. The dusty, little used tack room stood closed at the end of the row nearest him. Rarely was it in use save when there were rangers visiting. The elves had no use for it and generally, it only held little used medicines, the ones that just got in the way in the regular storage boxes.

I bypassed the entrance completely though knowing that at this time my destination would not be contained within them. A little ways past the barn stood the only fence contained in Rivendell, and visitors often wondered why it was there. The gate to it was never closed, and it was unnecessary. No elven trained horse would wander out of distance of its master's call. The pointless fence was chestnut and well weathered. It had stood here for almost a century made as a punishment by a few well deserving elflings and the two well known instigators, a punishment for another "harmless" prank. The simplistic fence had withstood the raging fire that destroyed the barn, and now made its use as a seat most days.

I jumped onto the fence-seat and gave a shrill whistle. Waiting I reveled in the peace of this place dropping my head back to see the sky and then closed my eyes at its bright blue with few dotting clouds and felt the sun shine warmly on my face. The grass field contained within the fence was kept cropped short by its hungry occupants. The wind was blowing slightly and from the north bringing with it the chill of a promise of a cold winter. My ears easily picked up the roar of a nearby waterfall.

A nudge to my shoulder made me lift my head and open my eyes. A small smile spread across my recently anger drawn features as I caught site of Tinnu, my stallion. He is as black as a moonless night when the stars are hidden from sight by clouds. His eyes are almost as deep a black but tinged with the slightest brown shade lightening them. His mane and tail are the same black as his coat and sleek as could be. He could go a week without a good grooming and still his mane and tail would remain tangle free. For me, that was a sigh of relief after the uncontrollable mess of his mother's mane. It would take hours of work to train the tangle mess that was her mane.

Many questioned the name of Tinnu as he is obviously as black as the darkest nights. Many counseled me against the name, but those that did could not see his spirit. He may be black as could be in outward appearance, but his spirit was as bright and as feisty as could be. Mixing his inside and outside appearance made him a mix of day and night, therefore Tinnu came about, the light in the dark of night.

He nudged again demanding his treat. Of course, I did; I never came to see him without a treat. He deserved it for all that he did to calm my soul. I opened my hand and he greedily took the piece of apple from it. His "whiskers" tickled my hand as he took it from me, and my smile broadened slightly. I rubbed my hands along his soft neck and laid my forehead upon his. I could feel the dirt amongst his sleek shimmering coat. He cocked his head slightly to the side in a well known gesture. It was the one he always used when he could sense my disturbed mood. It was as if he was asking what was wrong and I found myself spilling out the entire contents of the argument between 'Dan and me. When I finished, he started to walk away and rubbed against me in the process pushing me in the direction of the house. I laughed as he trotted off. His indomitable spirit showed through in his gait, every step perfect without the need of thought. It reminded once again that here was the horse no one could ride save myself, a horse that would not be controlled. I once again felt special to be the select one, but I had raised him since his foal stages when his mother had died in the fire, so, I suppose, it was to be expected or so others said. I only found myself honored to have been the one he chose to yield to.

I lightly jumped off the fence and made my way back to the house with a lighter heart and a determined air. Elladan was often known for being the stubborn twin, but what few knew was that it was actually I who could be the more stubborn one when my mind was set to it, and in this issue I was right. No question about it. I was now calm enough to make Elladan see that as well.

**The End**

Tinnu – starry twilight  
-Translation taken from The Council of Elrond.


End file.
